When students in Zachary Potter’s STEM classes design a project, they’re used to wiring, coding and problem-solving. But this fall, their engineering skills were put to use for something deeper: Ensuring that every child has the chance to play.

Partnering with Penn State Berks and the Berks County Intermediate Unit, Exeter’s engineering students helped design and build an adaptive “easy button” that can activate electronic toys with a simple press. These large, dome-style buttons are designed for children with fine motor challenges who cannot easily manipulate a small or stiff switch that’s often hidden inside a plush a toy’s hand or foot that needs to be pressed for it to play music, talk and move.

The idea behind the project was simple but meaningful: Give students an opportunity to apply engineering principles to a real-world need within their own community. And according to Mr. Potter, the project immediately resonated with his students. “It was nice that we could do something to help people in the area,” said Exeter junior Julian Greb. “I expected to work with wiring in this class, but not something like this—where we’re doing something that actually benefits the community.”

Aubrey Ridge, a senior, agreed as she reflected on the impact of the project: “It was nice to make sure every kid is included and give every kid the chance to play with toys.”

Before building the buttons, students learned from engineers at Penn State Berks about ergonomics and the science behind designing accessible technology. They explored principles such as:

• How large a button should be for different hand sizes
• Why dome-shaped surfaces help distribute and focus pressure
• How stiffness and resistance affect a user’s ability to activate a switch

They even studied a historic U.S. Army ergonomics guide that outlines average human-body measurements—information that is still referenced in engineering today.

After this introduction, Mr. Potter’s students split into pairs and designed their own button prototypes. Each design was then taken back to Penn State Berks, where students from Penn State’s Futures in Engineering program came together with engineering students from Exeter and Fleetwood to vote on the version of the button they believed would function best. The winning design, created by Marc McCaw and Mason Cerra, both Exeter seniors, became the model for all final buttons, which were printed at Exeter and then soldered into the toys during an assembly-line day last week at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Muhlenberg. 

“This project really gave our students the opportunity to apply everything we’ve talked about in class in a real-world setting,” Potter explained. “The folks from the IU and Penn State Berks were incredibly impressed with the level of knowledge and skill our kids had. They said our design was the best they’ve seen in the three years they’ve run this program.”

After collaborative work sessions and multiple refinements, students collaboratively adapted 72 toys, including a chicken that squawks and lays eggs, an Elmo that sings and dances, and a Cookie Monster that plays peek-a-boo. Twenty of the adapted toys came home to Exeter, and will soon be distributed to students in the district who will benefit from easier access to play. Mr. Potter hopes to coordinate a special event with district staff to present the toys to families--ideally before the holidays.

The experience, he says, has been transformative. “Hearing that our kids improved the process for the professionals we worked with says a lot about the quality of their work,” he noted. “They jumped in, problem-solved and created something meaningful. I’m incredibly proud of them.”